


And Then

by pearl_o



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-01-18
Updated: 2008-01-18
Packaged: 2017-10-03 19:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pearl_o/pseuds/pearl_o
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So really, when Ray tries to figure it out, none of that counts, anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And Then

**Author's Note:**

> Mimesere inspired, etben beta'd.

_first_

In point of fact, Ray doesn't actually have any memory of meeting Gerard Way. He was just a kid he went to school with. If he thinks about it, he can remember back to sitting behind him in eighth grade health class, borrowing a pencil from him, all short and covered with nibble marks. In high school Gerard was in the honors classes and Ray was in the normal ones, so they didn't really interact much anyway, but they passed each other in the halls and sometimes they would have P.E together, or French.

So really, when Ray tries to figure it out, none of that counts, anyway. That's just the lead-up. The real thing came later.

_second_

It's a couple years after graduation. Ray's at a party. It's the same as every other party he's been to around here. Same people, same music, same conversations. Same beer, too, which is what makes it worth it when he's spent the week trying to work forty hours minimum wage and still not flunk out of college.

The beer is where he runs into Gerard. Or really, Gerard runs into him; Ray sees him in the corner of his eye, tripping over something right before he crashes into Ray. Ray half-catches him, stopping them both from falling to the ground.

"Sorry," Gerard says, righting himself. "Sorry!" His voice is just a little too loud, a little too nasal, a little too weird. Ray won their yearbook's girliest giggle award over all the girls in their class at school. Ray likes him right away.

"Hey, you're Ray Toro, right? I went to school with you," Gerard says. "I'm Gerard."

He actually sticks out his hand for Ray to shake, and Ray smiles when he takes it.

They both take their beers and go outside to the back yard. It's an oven in the house, packed with people, but outside it's fall and it's getting cold. The grass is damp when they sit on the lawn. It's quiet out here, though, and nice. They talk for a couple of hours, until Gerard's little brother finds them, and announces it's time for them to go, half-apologetic. If Ray was a totally different person, he might have made a move on Gerard while they were sitting together. As it is, Gerard scribbles down his phone number on Ray's hand and grins at him drunkenly as he leaves.

Ray copies down the number onto his bulletin board when he gets home, before he washes his hands. It stays up there for two weeks but Ray doesn't get up the nerve to call.

_third_

The next time he sees Gerard it's six months later. He's at the grocery store and he's already checked off bread and peanut butter and cheese off his list and he's trying to remember what comes next, and he turns into the frozen section thinking about tater tots, and there is Gerard, standing in the middle of the aisle with his brow furrowed and his hands on his hips.

"Hey," Ray says, and he's surprised how relieved he is when Gerard looks so pleased to see him. He says, "Hey! Ray!" and looks like he wants to go in for a hug, but he doesn't, even though Ray wouldn't mind if he did.

He explains to Ray that he's having an ice cream crisis. He only has enough money for one pint of ice cream. "And I kinda just want chocolate chip cookie dough, but I know Mikey really loves Cherry Garcia, so I'm having trouble deciding."

"I think you should get the kind you like," Ray says. Gerard looks down when he smiles, and Ray can see all of his tiny even teeth.

Gerard ends up buying the Cherry Garcia, anyway, but he also makes a date to meet Ray for coffee Thursday afternoon.

_fourth_

Gerard is the first guy Ray has ever dated. He is the first guy Ray ever kisses, and the first guy Ray ever beats off, and the first guy Ray ever goes down on, and the first guy Ray ever fucks. Ray is not the first of any of those things for Gerard, but he doesn't mind that at all; he's not jealous or anything. When they go to the movies, Gerard holds Ray's hand over the seat divider, and every Tuesday after his class gets out Gerard brings take-out over and leaves it in Ray's fridge with a note and a doodle, because he knows Ray doesn't get out of work until late.

If those other guys were just guys Gerard dated, then Ray is the one he's in love with now. If everything else is lead-up, this is the real thing.


End file.
